Izzy's Hungry Bog

This is a discussion on Izzy's Hungry Bog within the Other Aquatic Environments Journals forums, part of the Aquarium Photography category; -->
Just got my copy of Savage Garden. You know the section I'm going to be checking out first.
Actually legit questions now. I promise. ...

Hehe, Bek. . . you didn't realize? The secret to Izzy's success is that she serenades her babies every night, a trick she picked up from the book, of course...

Quote:

Originally Posted by thekoimaiden

"I want to stand with you on a mountain! "I want to bathe with you by the sea!. . . I'll love you more with every breath Truly, madly, deeply doooOOOOOO!"

^.^
...she's got the voice of an angel.

Izzy, stop teasing about your shiny new camera already and post some pictures! *ish impatient* I can't wait to see! What did you end up getting? Obviously you love it ::jealous:: I need a new camera so badly! *demands macros*

I don't think they're gonna let me save the poor little flytrap, but I will keep trying. And probably beg to send it to you if I managed to snag it, anyway! I have no CP territory! Stop trying to give me territory! I know that real-estate indoors is precious, but really? They're dime-sized! Not buying the excuse! Glad your little terrarium 'Dew is perking up with a little bit of TLC!

Can't wait for the round of new photos - and the older ones from when you saw them in the wild!

So. Pictures are here. I finally got a sunny day and time at home. Pictures will be in the next post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackwaterguy

Just got my copy of Savage Garden. You know the section I'm going to be checking out first.

Actually legit questions now. I promise. Now with numbers!

1. Where did you find the long fiber sphagnum? I didn't see any at nurseries or the big box hardware stores I went to. Maybe I missed it.

2. Any real difference between New Zealand and Chile sphagnum moss, besides the obvious?

I'd annoy you with other random question to answer for everyone to learn from, but I have a book to read.

I know the section that will become stained brown with soft drinks!

1. I actually found my sphagnum in the orchid section of Home Depot. I did have to look for it pretty hard. It doesn't come in large bales.

2. I don't think there is much difference between the species of sphagnum grown in different areas. Biggest one is probably the manner in which it's harvested.

Lol. Jes! I'm kinda overflowing with flytraps right now. If you can snag it, you should just keep it outside on the porch. Or send it to Cory. ;) All of my flytraps decided to divide this summer, so I've literally doubled the number I have. Some of you might be getting flytraps, too, if you aren't careful! ;)

PICTURES! I'm still working on learning the odds and ends of this camera (fujifilm finepix for anyone who is interested), but this is what I have so far.

The current setup. The containers are filled with water because we've had roughly 2 inches of rain this weekend. That's also the reason my sundews don't look too hot. A lotta rain puts a damper on their dew.

My S. leucophylla up close with Molly in the background. She is perpetually outside with me.

My S. flava. I should have taken some shots of just how many bugs these guys have caught this summer.

This is my favorite of my new pictures. This is one leaf of my new sundew, the cape sundew. MACROS! AHHH!!

A better pictures of my gardener dog.

Now we move inside.

This is my Nep. It's growing a lot faster than I thought it would. That new pitcher is getting huge!

This is my little dew that I'm nursing back. It's coming around! I put an arrow because it's hard to see. There is dew on those little leaves! The stem that is laying on the substrate has seeds in it. I'm hoping those will germinate, too!

And last but not least, my argyroderma that tried to flower but cloudy days killed it. This plant took a helluva beating at the big box store, but I think it's coming around now. I'm trying to neglect it back to health. Don't laugh. That's what you do with succulents.

I still have a long way to go with this camera. There is a small novel that comes with it, but overall I'm really pleased with my new baby! It's also not helping that I haven't seen a full sun day in almost a week now. My plants really do take a beating when that happens. The poor dews get the worst of it.

Cory, I don't have a picture of 'frogman.' It's in really rough condition. If you'd like to see what it should look like, the International Carnivorous Plant Society has a series of photos here. I'm hoping it will produce nice pitchers next year as it's a hybrid of a favorite of mine, S. minor.

So. While I'm learning to work the new camera (plants are also getting moved around, too), I thought I would post up pictures of my great in situ adventure! It wasn't that great. It was horribly rainy and we got lost twice trying to get there. BUT! I did meet the guys of the Carolina Carnivorous Plant Society (of which I am now a member). I only took a handful of photos and almost all were blurry, but here are the best ones.

This is the Stanely Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden. It's a natural pocosin, a specialized wetland. The name comes from the Algonquian term meaning "swamp on a hill" because defying all logic, these wetlands are actually on the tops of hills. They form when higher ground becomes poorly drained usually due to a seep underlying the land. These wetlands are actually dependent on fires to keep them clear. A lot of land that is managed for CP's has yearly burnings scheduled. These fires clear the brush and new tree growth that would shade out the pitcher plants and flytraps. Natural wildfire suppression is actually a big problem in the eastern US, but I won't go into that.

I really wish I'd taken more photos of the landscape around the garden. It's a really neat place. I also wish it hadn't been raining so much so I could have gotten pictures of the individual plants. This garden had a massive theft of a couple thousand flytraps this spring, so they were hard to find on the ground, but pitcher plants were everywhere. In those pictures you can see a lot of S. flava and some S. minor. One thing I didn't see were the little sundews. There are a handful of species native to the carolinas that I would expect to find there. So here is a picture of my D. tokaiensis.

So I know I have teased you with promises of other plants. Now it's time for me to deliver. Presenting my lithops! There are 8 of them potted in one pot. I just love these little guys! I don't think I've watered them since I put them in the pot. They are the exact opposite of my bog plants.

This is my smallest one. That is aquarium gravel to give you some scale.

I can't help myself and after this first one I don't think I'll be able to stop myself. I got a mexican butterwort (Pinguicula). I knew it would be small, but I had no clue. It is literally the cutest plant I have ever seen. Like I couldn't stop squee-ing as I was planting it. My dog came over because she thought something was wrong with me (lol DON'T answer that ANYONE). I give you. The ping.

These are 2.25" pots btw..

Also this is the first photoshoot that showcases my new flash. LOVE IT! It's not awkward like my last one.

Now for some science. Mexican butterworts are very different plants from the hungry bog. They are almost like carnivorous cactus in that they grow where there is very little rain. They get most of their water from surrounding humidity, but they have been amendable to getting it from their measly roots in captivity. Unlike my bog plants, these little cuties prefer substrate that is mostly inorganic. Some people even grow them literally attached to rocks. I can link you images if you want (on another forum so can't post here). However, there are some Pings that grow in more boggy conditions. A handful are native to the VA/NC/SC area and I also plan to get those. They are harder to find because they require a dormancy like all temperate CPs. Oh ya. Dormancy. These guys don't really go dormant per say; they grow succulent leaves and stop feasting on everything for a bit during the winter. It's debatable whether or not the succulent phase is true dormancy. Personally I just think they get cuter when they do this because they get smaller. Pings also have the best flowers of the CP world. This little guy is flowering size so maybe I'll get some this year before dormancy :3

NEW PLANTS!!! YAY! So I had lunch with a friend I met through my CP forum. She and I had a blast talking about plants and everything under the sun. She is overrun with Drosera filiformis, a NA native dew. She offered me some plants, and I gladly accepted. Love those 'dews! Unlike my cute little ping, these cute little dews stay outside year-round. Introducing, the babies! (These are 'dews she grew from seed herself).

She gave me the tiny seed pots as well as another MASSIVE pot of them.

You can see that large pot in the background.

And finally this is the new home of my CP's. I think I'm actually going to put my entire collection in a wagon so I can put it in the sunniest spot at different times of the day (Heather gave me this idea). They need at least 6 hours to look good, but to get some nice red colors they need as much as 10 hours a day. I promise I will post a picture of them in the wagon and maybe even me pulling the little red wagon when I can dig it out of the garage.